[Timeline: Day 3 of the Tournament – The Invasion]

[Location: The Arena Floor]

As the last word left Zero's lips, the world went silent.

With every second that passed, the war escalated to new heights, both in the sky and on the ground

Outside the barrier, the emperor's army had arrived, constantly trying to break in and avenge their prince

Zero looked up. In a matter of seconds, the sky had been sealed.

High above the Academy, the golden light descending from the tear in reality solidified.

It was a physical manifestation of Divine Law. A translucent, golden dome slammed down around the perimeter of the school, cutting through clouds, buildings, and mana alike.

[Divine Quarantine Established.]

The sound of the outside world, the Emperor's screaming, the artillery fire, and the wind all vanished.

Inside the dome, there was only a terrifying, resonant hum.

HUMMMMMMM.

Zero looked up. He saw an artillery shell from the Imperial Army hit the outside of the golden dome.

However, it didn't explode and instead turned into white butterflies and dissipated.

"Concept Magic," Zero whispered, his dragon-slit pupil contracting. "They're overwriting reality. Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out."

The power of a demi-god was truly something he could not yet comprehend

He looked down.

The Void Hounds that had been rampaging through the arena suddenly stopped attacking the students. They looked up at the golden light.

SKREEEE!

The monsters screamed.

The light emitted by the barrier wasn't warm. It was absolute Order. For creatures born of the Abyss and Void, the light was like acid.

One of the Void Hounds closest to the barrier began to crystallize. Its flesh turned into white salt, crumbling away in seconds.

The remaining beasts panicked. They realized the perimeter was a death zone. There was only one safe place: the center of the arena, where the shadows were deepest.

Where Zero stood.

ROAR!

A wave of three hundred Void Hounds, corrupted Cultists, and summoned demons turned inward.

They charged at the center, a tsunami of claws and teeth driven by desperate survival instinct.

"Defensive formation!" Leona shouted, slamming her tower shield into the dirt.

"They're coming!"

Zero stepped forward. His wings of shadow and gold flared wide.

"Protect the students," Zero commanded, his voice vibrating with draconic power.

"I'll handle the trash."

He raised the Pantheon Sword.

The horde crashed into him.

BOOM.

It was a meat grinder. Zero became a blur of destruction. He swung the massive crystal sword with one hand, cleaving three Void Hounds in half with a single stroke.

He breathed a cone of shadow-fire that disintegrated a squad of Cultists.

But there were too many.

They crawled over his wings. They bit at his scaled armor. They were terrified of the Golden Light, so they threw themselves at the Shadow Dragon, hoping to tear him apart to find shelter in his darkness.

Zero grunted, kicking a demon away. He checked his mana. The Dual-Core Overdrive had 3 minutes left.

…...........

[Location: Center of the Formation]

Elena lay on the dirt, her vision swimming.

The pain in her shoulder and broken hand was a dull throb now, suppressed by the shock. She stared at the back of the monster fighting for them.

The Shadow Dragon. Zero.

He moved with a violence that terrified her, yet he never took a step back. He was a wall between the monsters and her unconscious friends.

'Who is he?' Elena thought sluggishly. 'Why save us?'

A Void Hound broke through the line. It leaped over Leona's shield, jaws snapping toward Elena's face.

SWISH.

A hand grabbed the beast by the throat in mid-air.

Zero.

He had flickered back instantly. He crushed the hound's windpipe and threw it back into the horde.

As he moved, the wind from his wings washed over Elena.

She froze.

It wasn't the smell of blood. It wasn't the smell of ozone or brimstone.

It was a scent she had smelled only once before. A scent of fresh rain, crushed mint, and ancient, vibrant life.

[The Celestial Life Physique.]

Elena's eyes widened. She remembered the Private Lessons.

She remembered the "training" where Professor Mozart would heal them after breaking them.

She remembered that specific, impossible scent of vitality that lingered on his hands.

"Professor..." Elena whispered.

The realization hit her harder than Nero's kick.

The movement style. The way he targeted weak points. The way he called them "children."

The monster wasn't a stranger. It wasn't a terrorist.

It was the teacher who had taught them how to survive this exact situation.

"Mozart," Elena choked out, tears filling her eyes. "It's you."

Zero didn't turn around. He was busy decapitating a Cultist. But Elena saw his shoulders stiffen slightly.

…..........

[Location: The Sky]

CRACK.

The sound didn't come from the battle. It came from the school itself.

High above, Headmistress Astra fell from the sky.

She wasn't dead, but she was bleeding golden ichor. She slammed onto the roof of the Spire, cracking the stone.

She looked up at the Golden Dome. The weight of the combined "Kingdom of Gods" was crushing the entire central continent.

And beneath the island... something was pushing back.

"Zero!"

Astra's voice projected telepathically into Damien's mind. It was strained, desperate.

"The Barrier is too heavy! It is squeezing the island against the Abyss Gate beneath the foundations!"

Although the other demi-gods and I prepared in advance thanks to your later, but…." as she spoke her voice trailed off struggling to get back to her feet

Damien slashed through a demon and looked down.

The floor of the arena was spiderwebbing. Purple light was bleeding up through the cracks.

"The seal is rupturing!" Astra screamed in his head. "These bastards are pushing the school into the Abyss!"

"If that seal opens, we're all dead!"

RUMBLE.

The ground lurched. The entire stadium dropped five feet instantly.

The Void Hounds stopped fighting. They looked down at the earth, terrified.

A massive, guttural sound echoed from deep underground, deeper than the dungeons, deeper than the mines.

"F R E E."

It was the voice of a Demon Lord.

Zero looked at the cracking floor. He looked at the Golden Barrier sealing the sky.

"A hammer above," Zero hissed. "And an anvil below."

He checked his timer.

[Overdrive: 1 Minute Remaining.] [DP: 195,000]

He looked at Elena, who was staring at him with recognition in her eyes. He looked at the unconscious Alaric and Lukas.

He realized there was no way to win this fight. If he fought the demons, the Barrier would crush them. If he fought the Barrier, the Abyss would swallow them.

This was a situation that had never happened before in the orginal novel, yet right now he had to do something

He had to leave the board.

"Leona! Lyra!" Zero roared, his voice shaking the dome. "Gather the students! Tight formation! NOW!"

He deactivated the Pantheon Sword and shoved it into his inventory.

He raised both hands.

"System," Zero commanded, his voice cold and final.

[System Awaiting Command.]

"I need to send everyone one away from here, but thanks to the dome regular teleportation doesn't work"

"I need you to teleport everyone away from here."

Zero looked at the golden sky one last time.

"No matter the cost! Do it!"

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